Strike While The Iron Is Hot

As you may or may not know, the entertainment industry as been at war with itself for the past couple of weeks due to the WGA strike.  What they are asking for is pretty simple:  a raise in residuals from DVD sales (from a whopping 4 cents per unit sold to 8 cents) and a percentage in sales made in new media (the internet, iTunes, cell phones, etc.).  The WGA is merely asking for what they deserve:  writers bust their collective asses so they can make a show entertaining and in turn, they want to get a bit of cash for their hard-earned success. The demands are very reasonable and expected, considering that's where TV is headed at this point.  And the studios? They said no, hence the strike.  And on a PR level, the studios are losing. 

There are some fantastic sites that are on top of the ever-changing landscape of the strike.  LA Weekly writer Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily is by far the best.  Not only is she pro-union, she is giving out the most consistent and freshest information on all things related to the business, the strike being the big story.  Another site is United Hollywood, the unofficial blog for the WGA strikers.  It is consistently funny, moving, and informative.  Some other personal blogs that are great are Pamie and her husband stee, both writers and WGA members. 

Now, this being said, the WGA is not perfect.  In my opinion, they completely mishandled and dropped the ball on the Top Model strike in 2006.  My neighbor Dan Blau, one of the Top Model story editors, revisits the Top Model strike this week in the LA Times.   It seems like the WGA learned some lessons from the Top Model strike -- they are being far more aggressive this time around, and using some wit as well.  Taking a cue from the peanuts  gambit that brought Jericho back for another season, they are asking people to mail pencils to the studios. 

As a member of two sister unions to the WGA, I hope that the writers get absolutely everything that they ask for.  Why?  They deserve it.  They create product that is making their bosses completely wealthy, and frankly, they are owed a cut of that.  If it weren't for the writers coming up with this great stuff, the studios wouldn't be making their money in the first place. Period.